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He stroked his chin lass overhead
"Ah-h!" he gasped It was a long-drawn sigh of regret, of conclusion, or of weary impatience "There is no one in Toulouse ill swear to your identity monsieur?" he asked
"I am afraid there is not," I replied "I know of no one"
As I uttered those words the President's countenance changed as abruptly as if he had flung off athe past few er He leapt to his feet, his face cri to blaze, and the words he spoke came now in a hot, confused, and almost incoherent torrent
"Miserable!" he roared, "out of your own mouth have you convicted yourself And to think that you should have stood there and wasted the time of this Court--His Majesty's time--with your damnable falsehoods! What purpose did you think to serve by delaying your dooine that haply, whilst we sent to Paris for your witnesses, the King roeary of justice, and in sos have been known, and it ain based upon such a hope But justice, fool, is not to be cozened Had you, indeed, been Bardelys, you had seen that here in this court sits a gentleman who is very intimate with him He is there, monsieur; that is Monsieur le Comte de Chatellerault, of whom perhaps you may have heard Yet, when I ask you whether in Toulouse there is any one who can bear witness to your identity, you answer me that you know of no one I aste nohimself back into his chair like a reat kerchief which he had drawn froether, and with smiles and nods, winks and leers, they discussed and admired the miraculous subtlety and acu, in solehast at this catastrophe Like a fool, indeed, I had tu for me by Chatellerault for I never doubted that it was of his contriving At last, "My masters," said I, "these conclusions may appear to you most plausible, but, believe me, they are fallacious I am perfectly acquainted with Monsieur de Chatellerault, and he with me, and if he were to speak the truth and play the entleman for once, he would tell you that I am, indeed, Bardelys But Monsieur le Co ency that I am at present in this position, and that I have been confounded with Lesperon What, then, could it have availed me to have made appeal to hientleman, and he may still retain some notion of honour Ask him, sir--ask him point-blank, whether I am or not Marcel de Bardelys"